This application is directed in general to a design and manufacturing process for small active areas or form factor panels. This application is directed in particular to the design and manufacture of smaller active areas or form factor panels used in flat panel X-ray detectors, which in turn may be used in medical devices or apparatuses for example.
It should be appreciated that the engineering and manufacturing process of active areas or form factor panels adapted to be used in X-ray detectors for example, is a complex endeavor. The production of such areas or panels typically involves many steps. It is typically advantageous to test the form factor panels at interim stages in the manufacturing process so that defects may be detected early, promoting repair and/or providing for less costly termination of the manufacturing process. Such testing typically involves using complex and delicate electromechanical contacting systems designed specifically for a given active area or panel size.
These specifically designed electromechanical contacting systems (engineering, production and manufacturing test equipment or systems for example) make temporary contact with the outside finger contacts of the form factor panels and measure a number of important parameters including interconnection integrity, TFT operation, diode performance, etc. The test equipment may also include scanning and data acquisition electronics so that every pixel on the panel may be addressed (i.e., tested) in some fashion. Such specifically designed testing systems may utilize dark conditions (no energy stimulus) or visible light stimulus, as well as X-ray stimulus to test the panels, depending upon where the testing point is inserted in the production process.
Currently, such engineering and manufacturing test equipment of this type is largely of custom design, and thus very expensive to develop. Typically, a new panel size generally means that a new set of development and production test equipment needs to be designed and constructed. It is therefore highly desirable to maximize the amount of reuse of the test equipment between panels of differing physical sizes.